orange rug FAIL

I ordered an inexpensive rug from Overstock for the Princess's room.  I really liked it.  And I still do...but not for her room.

The curtains go well with the orange dresser, and the curtains go well with the rug, but the rug and the dresser = no bueno.

The orange is much more brick-like than it looked on the website.  I can return the rug, but return shipping is almost $50. It appears I am the proud owner of an orange rug I don't have use for.

Options:
1. Put the rug in the garage, forget about it, sell it on craigslist, move on.  Still need a rug.

2. Use the orange zebra rug in the boys' room.  Its an option, but whoa, that's a lot of pattern in a room that already has a lot going on.  Very colorful.  I am more boring neutrals.  I had planned to move the brown trellis rug into the boys' room, as its a nice neutral rug with a bit of pattern but won't overwhelm the room, like an orange zebra would.

3. Use the brown trellis in Princess's room.

Meh.  The orange, the brown, the pink....its a possibility.  I think if I were to use the brown rug in her room I would paint the dresser pink, and forget about the orange.  (Sad face.)

4.  Repaint the dresser.....but what color?  If only I hadn't painted the damn thing it would have worked JUST FINE.

Black: too heavy.
Brown: BORING.
White: eh, white walls behind it.
Pink: not sure if it would go well.
Different orange: maybe.
BLARG.

Note to self: stop shopping and buying stuff until you actually get in the house.
Second note to self:  refrain from buying things you can't easily return.

5. I do have three of these Malm dressers.  I could take one of the unpainted ones in Princess's room with pink curtains and zebra rug.  (Of course this means I have to paint two dresser to match in the boys' room.)

6.  Put the zebra rug in the boys' room, comforters we already have, plain white curtains (its a bedsheet, use your imagination).

WAIT!!!  I HAVE AN IDEA!!!! (Can you tell I've been writing this post over the course of six hours, dragging the rug in and out of the room?)  

7.  Use zebra rug in boys room.  I have orange curtains from our old house in a similar color.  Buy two navy comforters, and voila, new boys room.

YES! THIS IS IT! I will expand on this in a separate post, I think, since this one is enormous already.  

8. You might note that numbers six and seven still leaves me needing to do something about the rug/dresser problem in Princess's room.  Well, at least I solved a problem I didn't even know we had.

Rug analysis paralysis overcome

I have been completely unable to pull the trigger on any rug for our living room. I can shop forever and not decide when its for myself.  I have seen countless options, but keep thinking, hmm, what if there's something better out there?

So I called in a designer to help me.  I've been following Bryn's blog for a few years now, and I love her design style. (Check out her portfolio; if you read design blogs you've probably already seen the awesome black and white bedroom she did.)   She pulled together some options, and one of them jumped out at me immediately.  Any guesses which one?

Here's her choices and commentary:

1. Blue/Beige Leopard Rug - This rug is from Overstock and is a GREAT price. The color reminds me of the color in your current rug, but this rug gives you more texture with the leopard print. It also brings in the beige tones from your new sofa. This rug is muted but also has a graphic design and will look great with the rest of your furnishings. 

2. Mum Rug - I love this rug - it's so beautiful! It's like a work of art and the colors go really well with your room. The only "con" is that it's on the higher end of the budget and also lighter than the other options and I'm not sure how you'd feel about that with your little kiddos. 

3. Peacock Rug - What a beautiful rug! This rug is darker so it will hold up to children well. I also love the colors and the organic shape of the feathers. It pulls out a lot of the same colors you currently have in the room... especially with your new blue chair (which I LOVE by the way). It's very visually interesting and would definitely be a show stopper!

4. Platinum Medallian Rug - Another MW rug. I really love the color of this rug and it's nice and neutral and would blend in with your decor. This rug would be great if you want to go a little more subtle with the rug and you want the other items in the room to stand out.

5. Beige Shag Rug - This is an inexpensive option with the same look as the Platinum rug. Again, it's neutral and a good rug if you want your other items to take center stage. 

6. Cowhide Rug - I'm not sure if you thought about a cowhide, but a Brindle cowhide would look wonderful in your space! They are super soft, hold up well and children love them. The organic shape would look really good in your space because of the open floor plan.

I know which one I'm getting. Which would you choose?

that rug has got to go

A few years ago, we were talking to our friend Mike, and he said, "I don't understand how my wife turned a $20 gallon of paint into $5,000 of new furniture."

*ahem* Here's how.  (I have not spent $5,000, or even close, but you know, its a domino effect.)

Now that I have such a vibrant blue chair, and a jewel-tone red chair, and my beautiful neutral sofa....that rug is striking me as meh.  I've been trying to hold off---we want to move this summer---but oh, I want that rug out of here.

On a whim I tried moving my Fallon dhurrie rug to the living room.  It looks lovely.

However, and this is a big however, the dhurrie rug is in a a fairly low-traffic area in my bedroom, and it drives me crazy. It doesn't lay flat, the ends curl up, the weave has stretched a bit, and it never stays where I put it.  A few years ago we had a yellow woven wool rug in our dining room, similar to a dhurrie, and I had the same problem--it never laid flat and the weave stretched from the dining chairs being pulled in and out.

I'm afraid (pretty certain, actually) that a dhurrie rug in the living room, a very high traffic area, would be lunacy.  At least for us.  Our living room gets a lot of foot (and food) traffic, and the ottomans are constantly being shoved around. As much as I love the design visually, it would probably not stand up to my kids.

So....I called a designer and she picked a rug for us.  Stay tuned.  

more rugs! from Lands End

Bryn at Bryn Alexandra Interiors posted about stuff from Lands End, and it never occurred to me to look there for a rug, but lo and behold they have two that would look lovely!

Geometric pattern rug

Paisley rug

They are the color and style I am looking for, and the price is excellent--$99.50 for a 5x8.  However, they are made of canvas, and even in the picture they look wrinkled.  It also seems like it might be thin and prone to moving around.   Has anyone ever had a canvas rug?  Is it as wrinkly as it looks?

Also---Sara at Russet Street Reno had a terrible experience with RugsUSA, so it sounds like I should cross the chain link rug off my list.

Jenny at Little Green Notebook, on the other hand, has put up a 10% off coupon for ABC Carpet (which is where you could get the Madeline Weinrib rugs I mentioned the other day.)  Woohoo, coupons.

Look at me, all name-dropping.  Next thing you know I'll be telling you I'm BFFs with Sarah Richardson. (We like, so totally are.)   

living room rugs

As long as I'm mentally dreaming about my living room and the sofas I'm never getting, lets talk about my new rug (that I'm also not getting). I'd like something grayish-brown, with a geometric pattern.  It can't be too light or beige-y, as there are young dirty feet tramping all over it on a daily basis.

My favorite is this Madeline Weinrib rug:

or this Madeline Weinrib:

This from RugsUSA:

This from RugsUSA:

Or this by West Elm:

or this

Although I really like the bottom three, I feel they are a bit too dark for the space.  I'm looking for a very neutral (but not too light) brown.  The darker ones make more of a statement, but I don't think I'm looking for a statement.

I think the top two contenders are the first Madeline Weinrib and the chain-link from RugsUSA.  Thoughts?